Represent!: Tagged 'state assembly'

Matthew Lin Campaign

A win for Dr. Matthew Lin would also be a win for the Republican party.

Two candidates in the San Gabriel Valley are fighting to represent the state Assembly’s first Asian-American majority district.

Matthew Lin, a physician, and engineer Edwin Chau will face each other in the Nov. 6 election.

While the San Gabriel Valley has long been home to immigrants from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, the latest round of redistricting created a seat where Asian-Americans represent 53 percent of the population. It’s the first of its kind in California. About half of the residents there were born outside of the United States and three-quarters speak a language other than English, according to the U.S. Census.

“The area has become a gateway for a lot of Asian-American immigrants and it has been that way for 30, 40 years now,” said Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause.